The essential world of creativity

Flying a very important flag

I took this photo at a maker’s festival at Brodick Castle back in 2019. A friend and I organised the festival that involved makers offering workshops and selling their wares over 4 days. It was a huge success for all involved and then the pandemic hit. I took this photo of a mum and a young child making a peg doll on our peg doll stand. We had set up this option as part of making sure there was plenty for children to do. Little did we expect the level of interest and from all ages. It was, by far, the most popular table with folk queueing to get a seat. I have often reflected on that.

Making a peg doll feels accessible for many folk but it also allows for individual creativity to be expressed. We even had a couple make a bride and groom for their forthcoming wedding. How fabulous is that? I was deeply touched by an elderly lady who sat for ages as she spontaneously began to help young children around her. I dashed off to get her tea and cake. The peg doll world brought out the best of people at the event but it also confirmed to me how important creativity is. It has a language all of its own that, in this case, was expressed through our hands. Hundreds of peg dolls were made over the four days and I saw more smiles in that small part of a marquee than I think I have ever seen in one space. No words were needed as folk showed off their wee peg dolls with such pride.

This is just one of a million experiences I have had when creativity has ‘lifted’ folk. Creativity has the capacity to open our eyes, heart and minds and it really should have a larger place in most lives. I have spent a life time facilitating creativity and seeing its magic work as the stresses and strains of life ebb away. I was fortunate and home schooled my four four children so they had plenty of time to be creative. I wasn’t convinced they would have the same time allocated for creative activities in school. It wasn’t that I wanted them all to follow creative pathways as a living. It was far more about what creativity gifted them as they were growing up and a lot of that was spent outside with the natural world all around them.

I am now nearing the end of my career but taking a wonderful bunch of patrons with me and we are busy creating up a storm. Just as it should be.